Andrej Čajni on On the difficulty of telling the truth, Joakimfest, October 8th 2025

Methodology of the truth
Andrej Čajni on Joakimfest paper, October 8th 2025

“[…] Agata Tomšič’s speech at the microphone is carefully segmented by rhythmic, melodic and semantic variations. Her intonation oscillates between the calm elegance of a lecture and the sarcastic distortion of invective, depending on whether the text conveys a view to be shared or rejected. Her impeccable diction, which borders on atonal singing, is accompanied by numerous scenes of protest captured by photojournalist and activist Michele Lapini. For example, while we listen to the actress talk about the courage needed to tell the truth, in the background we see a photograph of an elderly couple idyllically drinking wine in an outdoor café, while behind them a cordon of gendarmes confronts protesters: a contrasting scene that says the the truth is not always found in wine.

Davide Sacco’s electronic music acts as a bridge between images and sounds. The musical accompaniment always maintains a certain level of tension, softening when the discourse is more subdued and increasing when it shifts to more aggressive verbal tones. The projection of images pulsates aggressively to the rhythm of the music when the text expresses negative judgments. On the contrary, when she wants to emphasize and affirm individual statements, Agata Tomšič moves away from the microphone, approaches the proscenium and calmly and humbly continues her performance, thus attracting the special attention of the audience. […]”